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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · season · stock · shower · fall · lean · calf · wind

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — goods
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. lean — thin
  22. season — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com